Data processing system and method with copy protection

ABSTRACT

A data processing system includes readout means, device ID storage means, storage medium writing means, first determination means, and processing means. The readout means reads out data that have been stored on a storage medium, the storage medium removably mounted in an external storage means. The device ID storage means stores a device ID that is peculiar to a device. The storage medium writing means writes the device ID that has been stored in the device ID storage means to the storage medium. The first determination means makes a determination as to whether the device ID that has been written to the storage medium and the device ID that has been stored in the device ID storage means are in agreement. The processing means carries out either first processing or second processing depending on a determination made by the first determination means.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a Divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.11/031,991, filed Jan. 7, 2005, incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a data processing systemand method and, in particular embodiments, to a data processing systemand method with which it is possible to prevent programs or data frombeing used illegally.

RELATED ART

In the past, the storage media on which programs and data have beenstored were mounted in a data processing system, the programs and datawere read out, stored on a hard disk and the like, and utilized. Thoseprograms and data were ones that added capabilities to the dataprocessing system or improved the capabilities of the data processingsystem.

However, there have been problems in that the storage media on which theprograms and data have been stored could be obtained by borrowing themedia from another person and the like and illegally copying theprograms and data to the hard disk of the data processing system andutilizing them. In other words, there are copyrights for programs anddata, and only those who have legally obtained the programs and data bypurchasing them and the like may legally use them. Borrowing theprograms and data from other people and copying them is unlawful, but,in actuality, they are used illegally.

Therefore, in an attempt to prevent illegal use, restrictions withrespect to use have been added, but the restrictions have caused theprograms and data to become substandard with regard to convenience ofuse.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments of the present invention address problems as discussed aboveand relate to a data processing system and method that is satisfactorywith regard to convenience of use together with being able to preventillegal utilization.

A data processing system in accordance with a first embodiment is, in adata processing system that is furnished with readout means that readsout the data that have been stored on a storage medium, which isremovably mounted, in external storage means, furnished with device IDstorage means that stores a device ID that is peculiar to the device,and storage medium writing means that writes the device ID that has beenstored in the device ID storage means to the storage medium, and firstdetermination means that makes a determination as to whether the deviceID that has been written to the storage medium and the device ID thathas been stored in the device ID storage means are in agreement, andprocessing means that carries out the first processing that is based onthe data that have been read out by the readout means in those caseswhere it has been determined by the first determination means that thedevice ID that has been written to the storage medium and the device IDthat has been stored in the device ID storage means are in agreement,and that carries out the second processing, which differs from the firstprocessing, in those cases where it has been determined by the firstdetermination means that the device ID that has been written to thestorage medium and the device ID that has been stored in the device IDstorage means are not in agreement. The “data” include programs and datathat are utilized by devices such as the values of parameters and thelike.

A data processing system in accordance with a second embodiment is, fora data processing system of the first embodiment, one in which thestorage medium is one that stores the data, and a media ID thatspecifies the storage medium and which it is not possible to copy, andthe system is furnished with media ID storage means that stores themedia ID that is stored on the storage medium, and second determinationmeans that makes a determination as to whether the media ID that isstored by the media ID storage means and the media ID that is stored onthe storage medium are in agreement, and the processing means carriesout the first processing that is based on the data that have been storedin the storage means in those cases where it has been determined by thesecond determination means that the media ID that has been stored by themedia ID storage means and the media ID that has been stored to thestorage medium are in agreement, and that carries out the secondprocessing, which differs from the first processing, in those caseswhere it has been determined by the second determination means that themedia ID that has been stored by the media ID storage means and themedia ID that has been stored to the storage medium are not inagreement.

A data processing system in accordance with a third embodiment is, for adata processing system of the first embodiment, one that has encodingmeans that encodes the device ID that has been stored in the device IDstorage means, and decoding means that decodes the device ID that hasbeen encoded by the encoding means, and the storage medium writing meansis one in which the device ID that has been encoded by the encodingmeans is written to the storage medium, and the first determinationmeans is one in which a determination is made as to whether the deviceID that has been written to the storage medium, which has been decodedby the decoding means, and the device ID that has been stored in thedevice ID storage means are in agreement.

A data processing system in accordance with a fourth embodiment is, fora data processing system of the third embodiment, one that is furnishedwith processing information storage means that stores the data and thedevice ID, and processing information writing means in which the datathat have been read out from the storage medium by the readout means andthe device ID that has been encoded by the encoding means are written tothe processing information storage means, and the processing meanscarries out the processing based on the data that have been stored inthe information storage means.

A data processing system in accordance with a fifth embodiment is, for adata processing system of the first embodiment, furnished with mountableexpansion board mounting means in which an expansion board that isfurnished with data processing means, with which data processing that isbased on the device ID storage means and the data that have been readout from the storage medium by the readout means is carried out, is freeto be mounted and removed.

A data processing system in accordance with a sixth embodiment is, for adata processing system of the fifth embodiment, one in which the dataprocessing means is furnished with musical tone processing means thatprocesses a musical tone signal and the musical tone processing iscarried out by the musical tone processing means based on the data thathave been read out by the readout means.

A data processing system in accordance with a seventh embodiment is, fora data processing system of the first embodiment, one in which thedevice ID storage means is configured by a non-volatile writable memory,and the system is furnished with device ID generation means thatgenerates the device ID, and device ID writing means in which the deviceID that has been generated by the device ID generating means is writtento the device ID storage means.

A data processing system in accordance with an eighth embodiment is, fora data processing system of the first embodiment, furnished with musicaltone processing means that processes a musical tone signal, and in thosecases where a determination has been made by the first determinationmeans that the device ID that has been written to the storage medium andthe device ID that has been stored in the device ID storage means are inagreement, the first musical tone processing is carried out by themusical tone processing means based on the data that have been read outby the readout means, and in those cases where a determination has beenmade by the first determination means that the device ID that has beenwritten to the storage medium and the device ID that has been stored inthe device ID storage means are not in agreement, the second musicaltone processing, which is different from the first musical toneprocessing, is carried out by the musical tone processing means.

A data processing system in accordance with a ninth embodiment isfurnished with device ID storage means that stores a device ID that ispeculiar to the device, and processing information storage means thatstores the data and the device ID, and determination means with which adetermination is made as to whether the device ID that has been storedin the processing information storage means and the device ID that hasbeen stored in the device ID storage means are in agreement, andprocessing means that carries out the first processing based on the datathat have been stored in the processing information storage means inthose cases where a determination has been made by the determinationmeans that the device ID that has been stored in the processinginformation storage means and the device ID that has been stored in thedevice ID storage means are in agreement, and carries out the secondprocessing, which is different from the first processing, in those caseswhere a determination has been made by the determination means that thedevice ID that has been stored in the processing information storagemeans and the device ID that has been stored in the device ID storagemeans are not in agreement.

A data processing system in accordance with a tenth embodiment is, for adata processing system of the ninth embodiment, one that has encodingmeans that encodes the device ID that has been stored in the device IDstorage means, and decoding means that decodes the device ID that hasbeen encoded by the encoding means, and the processing informationstorage means is one in which the data and the device ID that has beenencoded by the encoding means are stored, and the determination means isone in which a determination is made as to whether the device ID thathas been stored in the processing information storage means, which hasbeen decoded by the decoding means, and the device ID that has beenstored in the device ID storage means are in agreement.

A data processing system in accordance with an eleventh embodiment is,for a data processing system of the ninth embodiment, furnished withmountable expansion board mounting means in which an expansion boardthat is furnished with data processing means, with which data processingthat is based on the data that have been stored in the processinginformation storage means is carried out, is free to be mounted andremoved.

A data processing system in accordance with a twelfth embodiment is, fora data processing system of the eleventh embodiment, one in which thedata processing means is furnished with musical tone processing meansthat processes a musical tone signal and the musical tone processing iscarried out by the musical tone processing means based on the data thathave been stored in the processing information storage means.

A data processing system in accordance with a thirteenth embodiment is,for a data processing system of the ninth embodiment, one in which thedevice ID storage means is configured by a non-volatile writable memory,and the system is furnished with device ID generation means thatgenerates the device ID, and device ID writing means in which the deviceID that has been generated by the device ID generation means is writtento the device ID storage means.

A data processing system in accordance with a fourteenth embodiment is,for a data processing system of the ninth embodiment, one in which theprocessing means is furnished with musical tone processing means thatprocesses a musical tone signal, and in those cases where adetermination has been made by the determination means that the deviceID that has been stored in the processing information storage means andthe device ID that has been stored in the device ID storage means are inagreement, the first musical tone processing is carried out by themusical tone processing means based on the data that have been stored inthe processing information storage means, and in those cases where adetermination has been made by the determination means that the deviceID that has been stored in the processing information storage means andthe device ID that has been stored in the device ID storage means arenot in agreement, the second musical tone processing, which is differentfrom the first musical tone processing, is carried out by the musicaltone processing means.

In accordance with a data processing system of the first embodiment, thedevice ID storage means stores a device ID that is peculiar to thedevice, and by means of the storage medium writing means, the device IDthat has been stored in the device ID storage means is written to thestorage medium. The processing means carries out the first processing inthose cases where a determination has been made by the firstdetermination means that the device ID that has been written to thestorage medium and the device ID that has been stored in the device IDstorage means are in agreement and carries out the second processing,which is different from the first processing, in those cases where adetermination has been made that they are not in agreement. Accordingly,there is the advantageous result that it is possible to prevent theillegal use of the storage medium by a data processing system that has adifferent device ID due to the fact that the second processing carriesout processing that is not normal. In addition, with the secondprocessing, if processing is carried out that is not normal and has hadsome controls established, it is possible to use the data that have beenstored on the storage medium for trial testing.

In accordance with a data processing system of the second embodiment, inaddition to the advantageous result that is exhibited by a dataprocessing system of the first embodiment, the storage medium is onethat stores the data and a media ID that specifies the storage mediumand that cannot be copied. The media ID storage means stores the mediaID that is stored on the storage medium, the second determination meansmakes a determination as to whether media ID that the media ID storagemeans has stored and the media ID that is stored on the storage mediumare in agreement, and the processing means carries out the firstprocessing based on the data that are stored on the storage medium inthose cases where a determination has been made by the seconddetermination means that they are in agreement and carries out thesecond processing, which is different from the first processing, inthose cases where a determination has been made that they are not inagreement. Therefore, there is the advantageous result that due to thefact that the second processing is done and processing that is notnormal is carried out, it is possible to prevent use of a storage mediumthat has been copied illegally.

In accordance with a data processing system of the third embodiment, inaddition to the advantageous result that is exhibited by a dataprocessing system of the first embodiment, the system has encoding meanswith which the device ID that has been stored in the device ID storagemeans is encoded and decoding means with which the device ID that hasbeen encoded by the encoding means is decoded, and the storage mediumwriting means is one that writes the device ID that has been encoded bythe encoding means to the storage medium. Since the first determinationmeans makes a determination as to whether the device ID that has beenwritten to the storage medium, which has been decoded by the decodingmeans, and the device ID that has been stored in the device ID storagemeans are in agreement, there is the advantageous result that it ispossible to prevent the device ID that has been stored on the storagemedium from being deciphered by a third party and copied.

In accordance with a data processing system of the fourth embodiment, inaddition to the advantageous result that is exhibited by a dataprocessing system of the third embodiment, the system is furnished withprocessing information storage means that stores the data and the deviceID and processing information writing means that writes the data thathave been read out from the storage medium by the readout means and thedevice ID that has been encoded by the encoding means to the processinginformation storage means. Since, because the processing means carriesout the processing based on the data that have been stored in theprocessing information storage means, it is possible to carry out theprocessing even if there is no storage medium, the convenience of use issatisfactory and, together with this, since the data and the device IDare encoded, it is possible to prevent illegal use such as decipheringthe device ID and rewriting it and the like.

In accordance with a data processing system of the fifth or sixthembodiments, in addition to the advantageous result that is exhibited bya data processing system of the first embodiment, since the system isfurnished with mountable expansion board mounting means in which anexpansion board that is furnished with data processing means, with whichdata processing that is based on the device ID storage means and thedata that have been read out from the storage medium by the readoutmeans is carried out, and that is free to be mounted and removed, evenif it is a different data processing system, it is possible to mount theexpansion board and the storage medium on which the device ID that hasbeen stored on the expansion board is stored and carry out normalprocessing. Therefore, there is the advantageous result that theconvenience of use is satisfactory together with it being possible toprevent illegal use.

In accordance with a data processing system of the seventh embodiment,in addition to the advantageous result that is exhibited by a dataprocessing system of the fifth embodiment, since the device ID storagemeans is configured by non-volatile writable memory and the system isfurnished with device ID generation means that generates the device IDand device ID writing means writes the device ID that has been generatedby the device ID generating means to the device ID storage means, thereis the advantageous result that, because it is not necessary to set adevice ID for each device in advance, it is possible to reduce the costof manufacturing the device.

In accordance with a data processing system of the eighth embodiment, inaddition to the advantageous result that is exhibited by a dataprocessing system of the first embodiment, since the processing means isfurnished with musical tone processing means that processes a musicaltone signal and, in those cases where a determination has been made bythe first determination means that the device ID that has been writtento the storage medium and the device ID that has been stored in thedevice ID storage means are in agreement, carries out the first musicaltone processing by means of the musical tone processing means based onthe data that have been read out by the readout means, while in thosecases where a determination has been made by the first determinationmeans that the device ID that has been written to the storage medium andthe device ID that has been stored in the device ID storage means arenot in agreement, the second musical tone processing, which is differentfrom the first musical tone processing, is carried out by the musicaltone processing means, by carrying out processing in which noise isinserted into the musical tone and the like as the second musical toneprocessing, it is possible to establish restrictions in those caseswhere there has been illegal use or in those cases where there is trialuse for testing.

In accordance with a data processing system of the ninth embodiment, adevice ID that is peculiar to the device is stored in the device IDstorage means, the data and the device ID are stored in the processinginformation storage means, and the determination means makes adetermination as to whether the device ID that has been stored in theprocessing information storage means and the device ID that has beenstored in the device ID storage means are in agreement. The processingmeans, in those cases where a determination has been made by thedetermination means that the device ID that has been stored in theprocessing information storage means and the device ID that has beenstored in the device ID storage means are in agreement, carries out thefirst processing based on the data that have been stored in theprocessing information storage means and the in those cases where adetermination has been made by the determination means that the deviceID that has been stored in the processing information storage means andthe device ID that has been stored in the device ID storage means arenot in agreement, caries out the second processing, which is differentfrom the first processing. Accordingly, even in those cases where thedata and the device ID that have been stored in the processinginformation means have been copied illegally, it is possible to preventillegal use by setting the second processing so that it is not normalprocessing.

In accordance with a data processing system of the tenth embodiment, inaddition to the advantageous result that is exhibited by a dataprocessing system of the ninth embodiment, the system has encoding meanswith which the device ID that has been stored in the device ID storagemeans is encoded and decoding means with which the device ID that hasbeen encoded by the encoding means is decoded, and the processinginformation storage means stores the data and the device ID that hasbeen encoded by the encoding means. Therefore, there is the advantageousresult that it is possible to prevent the data and the device ID thathave been encoded from being illegally duplicated and used.

In accordance with a data processing system of the eleventh or twelfthembodiment, in addition to the advantageous result that is exhibited bya data processing system of the ninth embodiment, since the system isfurnished with mountable expansion board mounting means in which anexpansion board that is furnished with data processing means, with whichdata processing that is based on the device ID storage means and thedata that have been stored in the processing information storage meansis carried out, is free to be mounted and removed, even if it is adifferent data processing system, it is possible to mount the expansionboard and by copying from the information storage means with which thedevice ID that has been stored on the expansion board is stored, carryout normal processing.

In accordance with a data processing system of the thirteenthembodiment, in addition to the advantageous result that is exhibited bya data processing system of the ninth embodiment, since the device IDstorage means is configured by non-volatile writable memory and thesystem is furnished with device ID generation means that generates thedevice ID and device ID writing means writes the device ID that has beengenerated by the device ID generating means to the device ID storagemeans, there is the advantageous result that, because it is notnecessary to set a device ID for each device in advance, it is possibleto reduce the cost of manufacturing the device.

In accordance with a data processing system of the fourteenthembodiment, in addition to the advantageous result that is exhibited bya data processing system of the ninth embodiment, since the processingmeans is furnished with musical tone processing means that processes amusical tone signal and carries out the first musical tone processing bymeans of the musical tone processing means based on the data that havebeen stored in the processing information storage means in those caseswhere a determination has been made by the determination means that thedevice ID that has been stored in the processing information storagemeans and the device ID that has been stored in the device ID storagemeans are in agreement, and carries out the second musical toneprocessing by means of the musical tone processing means, which differsfrom the first musical tone processing, in those cases where adetermination has been made by the determination means that the deviceID that has been stored in the processing information storage means andthe device ID that has been stored in the device ID storage means arenot in agreement, by carrying out processing in which noise is insertedinto the musical tone and the like as the second musical toneprocessing, it is possible to establish restrictions in those caseswhere there is illegal use or in those cases where the use is for trialtesting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1(a) is a block diagram that shows an electrical configuration of adata processing system of an embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 1(b) is a block diagram that shows an electrical configuration ofan expansion board to be used in a data processing system of anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plane drawing that shows an operating panel of a dataprocessing system of an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) are drawings that show an effect setting screen forselecting effects, wherein FIG. 3(a) is a drawing that shows a state inwhich settings of states of six effects are displayed, and FIG. 3(b) isa drawing that shows a condition in which settings of effect 3 of FIG.3(a) have been changed;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart that shows main processing in accordance with anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart that shows a first install processing inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart that shows a second install processing inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart that shows plug-in effect processing in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a flowchart that shows interrupt processing in accordance withan embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Explanations will be given below regarding embodiments of the presentinvention while referring to the attached drawings. FIG. 1(a) is a blockdiagram that shows an electrical configuration of a data processingsystem 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.1(b) is a block diagram that shows an electrical configuration of anexpansion board 20 that can be mounted in the data processing system 1such that the board is free to be mounted and removed.

The data processing system 1 is a system that processes sounds that havebeen input from a plurality of channels and adjusts the levels orapplies effects for each of the channels. These are synthesized, mixedinto the sound signals of two stereo channels, and recorded. The soundsthat are recorded are stored on a hard disk and when finally completed,are stored to a CD-R and the like.

The expansion board 20 increases the number of functions that the dataprocessing system 1 can use to apply effects. The effect processing thatis carried out by the expansion board 20 is done by executing plug-inprograms that are supplied by means of a CD-R.

The data processing system 1, as is shown in FIG. 1(a), is furnishedwith a CPU 2, a ROM 3, a RAM 4, operators 5, a display device 6, a harddisk 7, a DSP 8, an input and output system (I/O) 9, an expansion boardslot 10, and a CD-R/RW drive. The operators 5 are operated by the user.The display device 6 displays each of the various settings, conditions,and the like. The DSP 8 is a signal processing system. The input andoutput system (I/O) 9 is connected to the DSP 8.

The CPU 2 is a central processing unit that executes each of the variousprocesses in accordance with the control programs that are stored in theROM 3 and on the hard disk 7. The ROM 3 stores the basic programs thatare executed by the CPU 2 and the fixed value data. The media ID 3 a isstored as one of the fixed value data.

A media ID that specifies the variety of CD-R is stored on a CD-R orCD-RW (a CD-R is a CD that can be written to, but rewriting is notpossible, and a CD-RW is a CD that can be rewritten; hereinafter, thesewritable media will be referred to simply as “CD-R”) and this media IDis an ID that cannot be copied to another CD-R. Accordingly, by decidingin advance on an original media ID that is written to the CD-R anddeciphering the media ID that is stored on the CD-R, it is possible todetermine whether the CD-R has been copied illegally or is a legitimateone. The original media ID 3 a is stored in the ROM 3.

The RAM 4 temporarily stores each of the diverse variables for theexecution of the control programs by the CPU 2. In addition, when theapplication programs that are stored on the hard disk 7 are executed,the programs are transferred to the RAM 4 and executed.

The operators 5 are each of the various types of switches and volumecontrols with which the operating panel of the data processing system 1is furnished, and will be discussed later while referring to FIG. 2. Thedisplay device 6 is configured by a liquid crystal display (LCD) anddisplays each of the various processing settings and parameter settings.It is possible to change and select the settings by means of theoperators 5.

The hard disk 7 is a non-volatile large storage capacity memory. Thedata for the musical tones that have been recorded and edited andprograms and data that have been stored on the CD-Rs, which have beenmounted in the CD drive 11, are installed on the hard disk 7. As one ofthe programs and data, there is the plug-in program and data for thecontrol of the expansion board 20 that is mounted in the expansion slot10.

When the plug-in program is installed, a device ID (that will bediscussed later) is appended to the plug-in program, encoded, andstored.

The DSP 8 is a digital signal processor, which is a microprocessor forthe processing of sound signals. The DSP 8 carries out processing suchas imparting an audio effect to the sound and the like in accordancewith the programs and data that are stored in a RAM that is built intothe DSP. The DSP 8 has a ROM (not shown in the drawing) in which noisewaveforms are stored. The DSP 8 has the function of reading out thenoise waveforms that have been stored in the ROM and adding noise to thesound that is input in conformance with the instruction of the CPU 2.

In addition, the input and output system (I/O) 9 is connected to the DSP8. The input and output system (I/O) 9 is furnished with an A/Dconverter, a D/A converter, and an interface. The A/D converter convertsthe sound of an analog signal that is input from outside to a digitalsignal. The D/A converter converts the digital signal that has beenprocessed internally to an analog signal when the signal is output tothe outside. The interface allows for digital signals or analog signalsto be received from and transmitted to other devices.

The expansion board slot 10 is a slot in which the expansion board 20can be mounted so that the board is free to be mounted and removed. Theexpansion board slot 10 is furnished with a connector that is connectedto the bus that is connected to the CPU 2, and a connector that isconnected to the bus for transmitting and receiving the sound signals toand from the DSP 8. The sound signal processing ability by only the DSP8 that is built into the data processing system 1 is limited. In thosecases where there is a need to carry out the processing of a greatvariety of sound signals, an expansion board 20 is mounted in theexpansion slot 10. In a preferred embodiment, it is possible to mountfour expansion boards 20.

The CD drive 11, together with being able to mount CD-Rs so that theyare free to be mounted and removed and reading out the programs and datathat are stored on the CD-R, is a device with which programs and thelike can be written. In a preferred embodiment, the programs for thesound signal processing that are executed by the DSP 8 as well as thedata and sound signals that are required at the time of programexecution are stored on the CD-R, and the readout and writing of thisinformation is carried out by the CD drive 11.

FIG. 1(b) is a block diagram that shows an electrical configuration ofthe expansion board 20 that is mounted in the expansion board slot 10described above. The expansion board 20 is configured by a CPU 21, a ROM22, a RAM 23, a DSP 24, an interface (I/F) 25, and a flash memory 26.

The CPU 21 is a central processing unit that executes each of thevarious processes in accordance with a control program that is stored inthe ROM 22. The ROM 22 stores the control programs that are executed bythe CPU 21 and the fixed value data. The RAM 23 is a memory in whicheach of the various types of data for the execution of the controlprograms by the CPU 21 are stored temporarily.

The DSP 24 is the same as the DSP 8 discussed above and is used toimpart effects to the sound that are different from those of the DSP 8.The interface 25 communicates with the data processing system 1. Theprograms in which the algorithms are stored for the signal processingthat is executed by the DSP 24 as well as the data, such as theparameters that are used in the processing, are transmitted to the RAMof the DSP 24 via the interface 25.

The flash memory 26 is a non-volatile writable memory. The board ID 26 a(the device ID) is stored in the flash memory 26. The board ID 26 a isrequired to be different for each board, but at the time of shippingfrom the factory, the identical code (a code that indicates null) isstored. When a plug-in program that uses the expansion board 20 isinstalled from a CD-R, a random value is generated by the dataprocessing system 1, and the board ID 26 a is set and stored overwritingthe code described above in the flash memory 26.

Next, the board ID 26 a is stored on the CD-R, which is the storagemedium on which the plug-in program has been stored. The board ID 26 ais also stored on the hard disk, on which the plug-in program isinstalled. Since the board ID 26 a can be easily read and usedillegally, the ID is encoded and stored in an encoded form. With regardto the encoding method, the board ID 26 a is appended to the originaldata that has been stored on the CD-R and the encoding is performed ondata to which the appending has been done, using an encoding key. Theencoding method may be a suitable publicly known method.

When the encoded board ID 26 a is stored on the CD-R, the authorizedflag C, which indicates that the CD-R has already been installed, iswritten to a specified storage region of the CD-R and, in addition, theCD-R is finalized so that it is not possible to write information to theCD-R. The finalized CD-R is said to be an authorized CD-R.

In those cases where a plug-in program that has been stored on the harddisk 7 is used, first, the board ID 26 a is decoded and extracted andwhether this is in agreement with the board ID 26 a that has been storedin the flash memory 26 is ascertained. If the IDs are in agreement, theregular operation is carried out, but in those cases where the IDs aredifferent, an operation that is different from the regular operation iscarried out.

What is meant by an operation that is different from the regularoperation is, for example, one in which noise is generated everyspecified time period. Accordingly, once the board has been authorizedby a particular data processing system 1, it is possible to prohibitregular operation with another data processing system 1 because theboard ID 26 a will be different.

In those cases where the board IDs 26 a are not in agreement, ratherthan a regular operation (hereinafter, referred to as the “authorizedmode”), an operation that has been limited (hereinafter, referred to asthe “trial mode”) is carried out. The sound that is processed by meansof the trial mode is imperfect, but since it is known in what way theprocessing will be done, it is possible to use the trial mode for aso-called trial version or a demonstration.

FIG. 2 is a plane drawing that shows an operating panel of the dataprocessing system 1. The display device 6 is arranged on the upper rightof the operating panel and the CD drive 11 is arranged on the lowerright. In FIG. 2, a state is shown with the tray in which the CD-R ismounted pulled out a bit.

The six function keys 5 a are arranged below the display device 6 alongthe bottom edge of the display device 6. These function keys 5 a selectthe function that will be displayed in conformance with each of thefunction keys 5 a that are along the bottom edge of the display device6.

The CD-RW key 5 b is arranged below the function keys 5 a. When theCD-RW key 5 b is pressed, a processing menu regarding the CD-R isdisplayed on the display device 6 and the desired processing can beselected from within this menu. For example, processing that installs aprogram from the CD-R or an uninstall that deletes a program that hasbeen installed.

The effect key 5 c is arranged below the CD-RW key 5 b. When the effectkey 5 c is pressed, a processing menu regarding the effects is displayedon the display device 6 and the desired processing can be selected fromwithin this menu. The effect processing will be discussed in detaillater while referring to FIG. 3.

Six keys for the instruction of recording and reproduction 5 d arearranged below the effect key 5 c. The ZERO key is a key that instructsthe setting of the position that is recorded or reproduced to the startof the data that it is desired to be reproduced. The REW key is a keythat instructs the shifting of the reproduction position toward thedirection of the start of the data that it is desired to be reproduced.The FF key is a key that instructs the shifting of the reproductionposition toward the end of the data that it is desired to be reproduced.

The STOP key is a key that instructs the interruption of the recordingor reproduction when recording or reproduction are being carried out.The PLAY key is a key that instructs the starting of reproduction. TheREC key is a key that instructs the starting of recording.

The Yes key and No key 5 e are arranged above the keys 5 d that instructrecording and reproduction. The Yes key and No key 5 e are ones that areoperated when a standby display for the instruction of a Yes or a No iscarried out. The rotary encoder 5 f is arranged above the Yes key and Nokey 5 e and by means of the rotary encoder 5 f, it is possible to changethe values of the parameters that have been displayed on the displaydevice 6 or to instruct the scrolling of the screen that has beendisplayed.

The two master sliders 5 g are arranged to the left of the rotaryencoder 5 f. A plurality of inputs are mixed in the end to the two leftand right channels, their levels are adjusted by means of these sliders,and they are recorded. Eight sliders 5 h are arranged on the right sideof the two master sliders 5 g by which the respective input signallevels are adjusted.

The PAN volume controls 5 i, the on keys 5 j, the select keys 5 k, theeffect volume controls 5 m, and the input jacks 5 n are arranged inorder toward the top above the eight sliders 5 h corresponding to eachof the eight sliders 5 h.

The PAN volume controls 5 i, the on keys 5 j, the select keys 5 k, andthe effect volume controls 5 m act on each of the respective soundsignals that have been input to the eight input jacks 5 n. The PANvolume controls are configured with round volume controls and set theproportions of the inputs that are divided between the respective twoleft and right channels.

The on keys 5 j are switches that set the inputs to on or off. When aswitch is set to on, the input is output mixed with the other inputs.When the switch is set to off, the input is not mixed with the otherinputs, and is not output.

The select keys 5 k are keys that instruct how the settings of theprocessing and the like of the effects and the like are made for theinputs such that they are displayed on the display device 6. The valuesof the parameters that have been displayed can be changed using therotary encoder 5 f and the like. The effect volume controls 5 m arevolume controls that set the depth of the effects.

Next, an explanation will be given regarding the setting of the effects.FIG. 3 is a drawing that shows an effect setting screen for theselection of effects that are displayed on the display device 6 when theeffect key 5 c has been pressed. When the effect key 5 c is pressed,first the screen that is shown in FIG. 3(a) is displayed. On thisscreen, the state in which six effects are set is displayed. Effect 1 (6a) and Effect 2 (6 b) are processing that are carried out with thesignal processing by the DSP 8 with which the data processing system 1has been furnished, and both are displayed as “Internal”. In Effect 1 (6a), the patch number 1 (Internal) from among the effect patches (thesettings with which the type of effect and each of the values of theparameters for that effect are determined) is assigned and the name ofthat patch is an effect known as Reverb 1. In Effect 2 (6 b), an effectknown as Super Delay, which is the patch number 14, is set. In apreferred embodiment, the effects that use Internal are assigned thepatch numbers from 0 to 99 and the patch numbers from 100 on areassigned to the expansion boards.

Effect 3 (6 c), Effect 4 (6 d), Effect 5 (6 e), and Effect 6 (6 f) areshown as the state for the effects that correspond respectively to thefour expansion board slots 10. In the cases shown in FIG. 3, for Effect3 (6 c), the effect of number 102, mild limiter, which is a patch thatuses an expansion board, is set, and for Effect 4 (6 d), the effecthyper chorus, which is the number 248 patch, is set. However, for thisEffect 4, “*N/A” (not authorized) is displayed and this indicates thatthe operation is in the trial mode and not in the authorized mode.

For Effect 5 (6 e) and Effect 6 (6 f), as is indicated by the display of“No Effect Board”, no expansion boards 20 are mounted in the expansionboard slots 10 that correspond to these effects.

On the display device 6, the icons 6 g that correspond to these sixeffects are displayed along the bottom area of the display device 6facing the six function keys 5 a. Since for Effect 5 and Effect 6, asdiscussed above, no expansion boards are mounted, blanks are displayed.

In the display of FIG. 3(a), when the function key F3, which correspondsto Effect 3 (6 c), is pressed, as is shown in FIG. 3(b), a screen isdisplayed with which it is possible to change the assignment of thepatch of Effect 3. In FIG. 3(a), for Effect 3 (6 c), the patch number102, mild limiter, is assigned, but in FIG. 3(b), which is the screen inwhich the assignment is changed, the library 6 h (this is a patch groupand, here, number 100 through number 199 are made one library) isdisplayed and, in addition, the patch number and name 6 i that areindicated by the cursor are displayed.

In the patch list display screen 6 j, the numbers and names of aplurality of patches are displayed and any of the patches can beselected by means of the cursor. The cursor operates the “NEXT” or“PREV” that are displayed by the icons 6 m that correspond to thefunctions keys which are displayed along the bottom area of the displayscreen 6. Or else, by operating the rotary encoder 5 f, it is possibleto shift the cursor toward the top or toward the bottom, and when thecursor reaches the top area or the bottom area of the display screen 6j, the patch list is scrolled.

By aligning the cursor with the desired patch and pressing the functionkey F5 (the key that corresponds to the icon that indicates SELECT), thesetting can be carried out. When the function key F3 (Edit) is pressed,the screen for the editing of the parameter values and the like of thepatch that is being selected is displayed. When the function key F4(BYPASS) is pressed, a switching setting for a toggle operation of theOn-Off of the path that the effect is output through can be made so thatthe effect does not pass through. When the function key F6 (RETURN) ispressed, the display of FIG. 3(a), which is one screen before, isswitched to.

Next, an explanation will be given regarding the processing that isexecuted by the CPU 2 in a data processing system 1 that has beenconfigured as above, while referring to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4-8.FIG. 4 is a flowchart that shows main processing that is launched whenthe power to the data processing system 1 is turned on and is repeatedlyexecuted until the power is turned off.

First, initialization is executed (S1). For the initialization,processing with which the initial screen is displayed on the displaydevice 6 and the like is executed. Next, a determination is made as towhether the start of the install has been instructed (S2). Theinstruction of the start of the install is an instruction that iscarried out, as discussed above, by pressing the CD-RW key 5 b on theoperating panel and selecting “Install” from within the menu for theprocessing that is related to the CD-R, which has been displayed on thedisplay device 6.

In those cases where the start of the install has been selected (S2:yes), the authorized flag C is read out from the CD-R that is mounted(S3) and a determination is made as to whether the CD-R that is mountedis authorized (S4). In those cases where the CD-R has not yet beenauthorized (S4: no), the install processing 1 is carried out (S5); andin those cases where the CD-R has already been authorized, the installprocessing 2 is carried out (S6). With regard to the install processing1 and the install processing 2, these will be discussed later whilereferring to their respective flowcharts.

In those cases where, in the determination processing of S2, the startof the install has not been instructed (S2: no), or after the completionof the install processing 1 of S5 or the install processing 2 of S6, adetermination is made as to whether the start of the uninstallprocessing has been instructed (S7). The uninstall processing is, in thesame manner as the install processing, an instruction that is carriedout by pressing the CD-RW key 5 b on the operating panel and selecting“Uninstall” from within the menu for the processing that is related tothe CD-R, which has been displayed on the display device 6. Theuninstall processing is processing that deletes programs or data thathave been installed on the hard disk 7 from the hard disk 7 in thosecases where the programs or data are not needed or in those cases wherethe empty region is insufficient.

In those cases where the start of the uninstall processing has beeninstructed (S7: yes), a list of the programs or data that are installedis displayed on the display device 6, and the programs or data that havebeen selected from the list are deleted from the hard disk (S8).

In those cases where the uninstall processing has been completed or inthose cases where, in the determination processing of S7, the start ofthe uninstall processing has not been instructed (S7, no), adetermination is made as to whether a plug-in effect has been selected(S9). The plug-in effect selection is an instruction that is carried outby pressing the effect key 5 c on the operating panel and selecting thetype of effect that uses the data that have been installed on theexpansion board 20 on the effect setting screen that is shown in FIG. 3.

In those cases where a plug-in effect has been selected (S9: yes), theplug-in effect processing (which will be discussed later) is carried out(S10) and in those cases where a plug-in effect has not been selected(S9: no), other processing is carried out (S11) and the routine returnsto the processing of S2. With regard to the other processing, processingsuch as the detection of the operating state of other switches and thelike on the operating panel, and, if a switch and the like is operated,carrying out the processing that corresponds to the operation, iscarried out.

Next, an explanation will be given regarding the install processing 1 ofS5 described above while referring to the flow chart that is shown inFIG. 5. This processing is the install processing for those cases wherethe CD-R has not yet been authorized.

First “Authorize?” is displayed on the display device 6 (S21). Thisdisplay is a display that asks the user whether the CD-R should beauthorized or should not be authorized. In those cases where the userhas selected to authorize for this query, the data that are stored onthe CD-R are installed on the hard disk 7 and, together with this, theCD-R is authorized. In other words, the authorized flag C is set andfinalized on the CD-R. This state is called the authorized mode and aregular operation is carried out in accordance with the data that havebeen installed.

On the other hand, in those cases where to not authorize has beenselected, the data that are stored on the CD-R are installed on the harddisk 7 and the CD-R is not authorized. This state is called the trialmode and a limited operation is carried out in accordance with the datathat have been installed. The trial mode is used in the store and thelike in order to know the essentials of the plug-in program that hasbeen stored on the CD-R.

In those cases where the user has pressed the Yes key 5 e for thedisplay of “Authorize?” (S22: yes), the authorized flag H is set (S23);and, in those cases where the user has pressed the No key 5 e (S22: no),the authorized flag H is reset (S24). The authorized flag H is a flagthat is stored on the hard disk 7 and is distinct from the authorizedflag C that is stored on the CD-R.

Next, the media ID that is stored on the CD-R is read out and adetermination is made as to whether the media ID is in agreement withthe media ID 3 a (the original ID) that is stored in the ROM 3 (S25). Inthose cases where they are not in agreement (S25: no), since the CD-R isregarded as one that has been copied illegally, an error display is madeon the display device 6 (S27), the install processing 1 ends, and theroutine returns to the main processing.

In those cases where the media ID that is stored on the CD-R is inagreement with the original ID that is stored in the ROM 3 (S25: yes),the CD-R is not regarded as one that has been copied illegally and theprograms and data that are stored on the CD-R (hereinafter, referred toas the “plug-in program”) are read out (S26).

Next, the board ID 26 a that is stored in the flash memory 26 of theexpansion board 20 that is mounted in a specified slot (for example, thefirst slot) from among the four of the expansion board slots 10 isacquired. In detail, a request for the transmission of the board ID 26 ais made by the CPU 2 of the data processing system 1 to the CPU 21 ofthe expansion board 20 via the interface 25 and the CPU 21 of theexpansion board 20 transmits the board ID 26 a that is stored in theflash memory 26 to the CPU 2 via the interface 25. The CPU 2 makes adetermination as to whether the board ID 26 a that has been transmittedis a null (S28).

In those cases where the board ID 26 a that has been transmitted is anull (S28: yes), a random value is generated based on a figure such asthe time and the like, that value is transferred to CPU 21 of theexpansion board 20 via the interface 25 as the board ID 26 a, and theCPU 21 writes that board ID 26 a to the flash memory 26 (S29). By thismeans, since an N code (null) that indicates a null is written uniformlyto the expansion boards 20 that are produced at the factory, it ispossible to reduce the costs related to manufacturing.

In those cases where, in the determination processing of S28, the boardID 26 a has already been stored (S28: no), that board ID 26 a isacquired and the board ID 26 a is appended to the plug-in program(combined), encoded by means of an operation with a specified key andtransferred to the hard disk 7 and, together with this, is registered inthe table that manages the programs and data that have been installed onthe hard disk 7 (S30).

In this manner, the plug-in program is installed on the hard disk 7.Next, a determination is made as to whether the authorized flag H is set(S31), and if the flag is set (S31: yes), the encoded board ID 26 a andplug-in are transferred to the CD-R also, the authorized flag is set onthe CD-R, and finalization processing is carried out so that it is notpossible to write further information to the CD-R (S32).

In those cases where, in the determination processing of S31, theauthorized flag H has not been set (S31: no), the install processing 1is ended without carrying out the processing of the CD-R and the routinereturns to the main processing.

In those cases where the user has selected authorize in the installprocessing 1, in the above manner, the encoded board ID 26 a and plug-inprogram are written to the CD-R, the encoded board ID 26 a and plug-inprogram are written to the hard disk 7 and, together with this, theauthorized flag H is set.

On the other hand, in those cases where the user has not selectedauthorize, nothing is written to the CD-R, the encoded ID 26 a and theplug-in program are written to the hard disk 7 and, together with this,the authorized flag H is reset.

Next, an explanation will given regarding the install processing 2,which is the processing of S6 of the flowchart that is shown in FIG. 4.This processing is one in which the CD-R has already been authorized.This is for cases such as those in which after authorize has been done,the hard disk is exchanged, or so that the plug-in program can beuninstalled and reinstalled, and those cases in which it is madepossible to do testing with an authorized CD-R.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart that shows the install processing 2. First, theboard ID 26 a and the plug-in program that have been encoded are decodedand the board ID 26 a is extracted (S41). Next, the board ID 26 a thathas been stored in the flash memory 26 of the expansion board 20 isacquired and compared with the board ID that has been acquired from theCD-R (S42). In this case also, the transmission of the board ID 26 a isrequested from the CPU 21 of the expansion board by the CPU 2 of thedata processing system 1 via the interface 25, and the CPU 21 of theexpansion board 20 transmits the board ID 26 a that is stored in theflash memory 26 via the interface 25 to the CPU 2, which thus acquiresthe board ID 26 a. Since it is possible to mount four expansion boards20 in the expansion board slots 10, as described above, the board IDs 26a of all of the expansion boards 20 that are mounted are acquired andcompared in order.

In those cases where the board ID 26 a that has been acquired from theCD-R is in agreement with any of the expansion board IDs 26 a (S43:yes), the authorized flag H is set (S44), and in those cases where theboard ID 26 a that has been acquired from the CD-R is not in agreementwith any of the expansion board IDs 26 a (S43: no), the authorized flagH is reset (S45). Following the processing of S44 or the processing ofS45, the encoded board ID 26 a and plug-in program are transferred tothe hard disk 7 and registered in the table that manages the programsand data that have been installed on the hard disk 7 (S46), the installprocessing 2 is ended, and the routine returns to the main processing.

In those cases where, as described above, a CD-R that has already beenauthorized is used and the board ID 26 a of the CD-R and the board ID 26a of the data processing system are in agreement, the authorized flag His set and the plug-in program is reinstalled. In those cases where theboard ID 26 a of the CD-R and the board ID 26 a of the data processingsystem are not in agreement, the authorized flag H is reset and theplug-in program is installed.

Next, an explanation will be given, while referring to the flowchart ofFIG. 7, regarding plug-in effect processing which is the processing ofS10 of the flowchart that is shown in FIG. 4. This processing is, asdiscussed above, processing that is carried out when the effect key 5 con the operating panel is pressed and the type of effect that uses thedata that has been installed on the expansion board 20 is selected fromthe effect setting screen that is shown in FIG. 3.

First, the data that are included in the type of effect that has beenselected are read out referring to the table that is stored on the harddisk 7, the encoded board ID 26 a and plug-in program are decoded, andthe board ID 26 a is extracted (S51). Next, the board ID 26 a that hasbeen extracted and the board ID 26 a of the expansion board 20 arecompared (S52). With regard to the method for the acquisition of theboard ID 26 a and the comparison method, since these are identical tothe processing of S42 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, theirexplanations will be omitted.

In those cases where the board ID 26 a that has been extracted and theboard ID 26 a of the expansion board are in agreement (S53: yes), theauthorized flag H is set (S54) and, in those cases where the board ID 26a that has been extracted and the board ID 26 a of the expansion boardare not in agreement (S53: no), the authorized flag H is reset (S55).Next, the plug-in program that has been decoded is transferred to theexpansion board 20 (S56), the plug-in effect processing is ended, andthe routine returns to the main processing.

As described above, at the time that the plug-in program that has beeninstalled on the hard disk 7 is executed, the program is decoded and theboard ID 26 a is extracted. If the board ID 26 a that has been extractedand the board ID 26 a of the expansion board that is mounted in theexpansion board slot 10 are in agreement, the authorized flag H is set,and if not in agreement, the authorized flag H is reset and the plug-inprogram is transferred to the expansion board 20.

Next, an explanation will be given regarding sound processing in thosecases where the authorized flag H is set and in those cases where theauthorized flag H is reset while referring to the flowchart shown inFIG. 8. This sound processing is processing that is executed by the CPU2 and is processing that is launched every 1 msec by a timer interruptthat is set in the initialization setting of S1 of the flowchart shownin FIG. 4.

First, a determination is made as to whether the authorized flag H isset (S61). In those cases where the authorized flag H is not set (S61:no), the counter that is stored in the RAM 4 is incremented (S62). Thiscounter is for timing a specified time period and is set to 0 at thetime of the initialization. Next, a determination is made as to whetherthe counter value is a specified value or greater; in other words, if aspecified period of time has passed since the time that counter valuewas previously made 0 (S63). In those cases where a specified period oftime has passed (S63: yes), an instruction is issued to the DSP 8 toinsert noise into the sound (S64), and the counter value is reset (setto 0) (S65).

In those cases where, in the determination processing of S61, theauthorized flag H is set, or in those cases where, in the determinationprocessing of S63, a specified period of time has not passed, or inthose cases where the counter has been reset in the processing of S65,next, other interrupt processing is carried out (S66), the processing isended, and the routine returns to the main processing. With regard tothe other interrupt processing, there are those such as processing todetect the state of the switches with which the operating panel isfurnished.

In accordance with the interrupt processing as described above, in thosecases where the authorized flag H is set (the authorized mode), noise isnot inserted into the sound, but in those cases where the authorizedflag H is reset (trial mode), noise is periodically inserted into thesound.

As other embodiments in which the processing in the authorized mode andthe processing in the trial mode are different, there are the following:(1) It is set up such that the sound is periodically muted (the volumeis set to 0) in the trial mode and is not muted in the authorized mode;(2) It is set up such that the frequency characteristics of the soundare periodically changed in the trial mode and are not changed in theauthorized mode; and (3) It is set up such that the parameters of theeffects can be set by the user and those parameters can be stored in theauthorized mode but, in the trial mode, the user can set the parametersof the effects, but the parameters cannot be stored.

As has been explained above, in those cases where a CD-R on which aplug-in program has been stored is mounted in the data processing system1 and the authorized mode has been selected, the board ID 26 a isappended to the plug-in program and encoded and written to the CD-R and,together with this, installed on the hard disk 7. Accordingly, even ifthe program is installed by a CD-R that has been authorized in a dataprocessing system 1 in which an expansion board having another board ID26 a that is different is mounted, the processing will be carried out inthe trial mode and not in the authorized mode. Therefore, it is possibleto prevent illegal use and, together with this, the plug-in program canbe tried out with restrictions.

In addition, since the board ID 26 a is also appended to the plug-inprogram that has been installed on the hard disk 7, even if the plug-inprogram of the hard disk 7 is copied to another data processing system1, since the processing will not be done in the authorized mode if theboard ID 26 a is different, it is possible to prevent the program frombeing used illegally.

In addition, even with another data processing system 1, if anauthorized CD-R and its authorized expansion board 20 are used, it ispossible for the plug-in program to be installed and used in theauthorized mode.

An example of a storage medium writing means is shown at the processingof S32 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5. An example of a firstdetermination means is shown at the processing of S53 of the flowchartshown in FIG. 7. In addition, an example of a second determination meansis shown at the processing of S25 of the flowchart of FIG. 5. Inaddition, an example of an encoding means is shown at the processing ofS30 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5. An example of a decoding means isshown at the processing of S41 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 6.

An explanation was given above of the present invention based onembodiments. However, the present invention is in no way limited to theembodiments described above and the fact that various modifications andchanges are possible that do not deviate from and are within the scopeof the essentials of the present invention can be easily surmised.

For example, in the embodiments described above, the flash memory inwhich the device ID is stored is furnished on an expansion board 20 andidentifies the expansion board, but it may also be set up with the flashmemory connected directly to the bus of the data processing system 1 andan ID that identifies the data processing system.

In addition, in the embodiments described above, it is illustrated withthe sound processing carried out by the data processing system 1 asinformation processing but it may also be set up as a data processingsystem that does the processing of the image data and all other data.

In addition, in the embodiments described above, it is set up with theCD drive 11 built into the data processing system 1, but it may set upwith the data processing system 1 furnished with a connector to whichthe CD drive 1 is connected and connectable to the CD drive 1.

In addition, in the embodiments described above, it is set up with thedata supplied by means of a CD-R or a CD-RW, but it may also be donewith other storage media on which an ID that cannot be changed can bestored.

The embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered in all respects asillustrative, and not restrictive of the invention. The presentinvention is in no way limited to the embodiments described above.Various modifications and changes may be made to the embodiments withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of theinvention is indicated by the attached claims, rather than theembodiments. Various modifications and changes that come within themeaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be withinthe scope of the invention.

1. A data processing system, comprising: a storage medium device forreading data from a storage medium; a storage element for storing data;and circuitry; wherein the storage medium device reads first data fromthe storage medium; and wherein the circuitry determines from the firstdata whether the storage medium has been previously used for anauthorized installation of second data from the storage medium to aninstallation storage element, and in the event that the storage mediumhas been previously used for the authorized installation, the circuitrycauses the second data and third data, which are read from the storagemedium by the storage medium device, to be stored in the storage elementand the circuitry associates the second data stored in the storageelement with the third data stored in the storage element.
 2. The dataprocessing system of claim 1, wherein the storage medium device is atleast one of a CD-R drive and a CD-RW drive.
 3. The data processingsystem of claim 1, wherein the first data comprises an authorized flag.4. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the second datacomprises a program.
 5. The data processing system of claim 1, whereinthe third data comprises a device ID.
 6. The data processing system ofclaim 1, wherein the third data is the same as the first data.
 7. Thedata processing system of claim 1, further comprising: an expansionboard slot for mounting an expansion board, the expansion board havingan expansion board storage element for storing data; wherein thecircuitry determines whether fourth data stored in the expansion boardstorage element and the third data stored in the storage element are inagreement, and in the event that the fourth data and the third data arein agreement, the circuitry carries out first processing based on thesecond data stored in the storage element, and in the event that thefourth data and the third data are not in agreement, the circuitrycarries out second processing that is different from the firstprocessing.
 8. The data processing system of claim 7, wherein the fourthdata comprises a device ID.
 9. The data processing system of claim 7,wherein the fourth data and the third data are in agreement when thefourth data is the same as the third data.
 10. The data processingsystem of claim 7, wherein the second data comprises a program; andwherein, in the event that the fourth data and the third data are inagreement, the circuitry carries out the first processing by executingthe program.
 11. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein, in theevent that the fourth data and the third data are not in agreement, thecircuitry carries out the second processing by executing the program andchanging an output of the program during a time period.
 12. The dataprocessing system of claim 10, wherein the program comprises a programfor producing a sound output; and wherein, in the event that the fourthdata and the third data are not in agreement, the circuitry carries outthe second processing by executing the program and performing at leastone of inserting noise into the sound output, periodically muting thesound output, and changing frequency characteristics of the soundoutput.
 13. The data processing system of claim 7, wherein, in the eventthat the fourth data and the third data are in agreement, the circuitrycarries out the first processing by transferring the second data to theexpansion board and setting an authorized flag; and wherein, in theevent that the fourth data and the third data are not in agreement, thecircuitry carries out the second processing by transferring the seconddata to the expansion board and resetting the authorized flag.
 14. Thedata processing system of claim 1, further comprising: an expansionboard slot for mounting an expansion board, the expansion board havingan expansion board storage element for storing data; wherein the storagemedium device can write data to the storage medium; and wherein, in theevent that the circuitry determines from the first data that the storagemedium has not been previously used for the authorized installation, thecircuitry causes the second data read from the storage medium by thestorage medium device to be stored in the storage element and thecircuitry causes fourth data stored in the expansion board storageelement to be stored in the storage element and the circuitry associatesthe second data stored in the storage element with the fourth datastored in the storage element and the circuitry causes the storagemedium device to write the fourth data to the storage medium.
 15. Thedata processing system of claim 14, wherein the fourth data comprises adevice ID.
 16. The data processing system of claim 14, wherein thecircuitry allows for carrying out first processing based on the seconddata stored in the storage element only when the expansion board havingthe expansion board storage element storing the fourth data is insertedinto the expansion board slot.
 17. The data processing system of claim16, wherein the expansion board slot allows for mounting at least one ofa plurality of expansion boards; and wherein the circuitry allows forcarrying out second processing that is different from the firstprocessing when a different expansion board than the expansion boardhaving the expansion board storage element storing the fourth data isinserted into the expansion board slot.
 18. A method for providing copyprotection for first data stored on a storage medium for use with a dataprocessing system, the data processing system having a storage elementfor storing data, a storage medium device for reading data from thestorage medium, and an expansion board slot for receiving an expansionboard, the expansion board having an expansion board storage element forstoring data, the method comprising the steps of: reading second datafrom the storage medium; determining from the second data whether thestorage medium has been previously used for an authorized installationof the first data to an installation storage element; reading, in theevent that it is determined that the storage medium has been previouslyused for the authorized installation, the first data and third data fromthe storage medium and storing the first data and the third data in thestorage element; reading fourth data from the expansion board storageelement; determining, in response to a request to execute processingbased on the first data, whether the third data and the fourth data arein agreement; performing, in the event that the third data and thefourth data are determined to be in agreement, first processing based onthe first data; and performing, in the event that the third data and thefourth data are determined to not be in agreement, second processingthat is different from the first processing.
 19. The method of claim 18,wherein the second data and the third data are the same data.
 20. Themethod of claim 18, wherein the third data comprises a device ID. 21.The method of claim 18, wherein the fourth data comprises a device ID.22. The method of claim 18, wherein the first data comprises a program.23. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of determining, in responseto a request to execute processing based on the first data, whether thethird data and the fourth data are in agreement, comprises the step of:determining, in response to a request to execute processing based on thefirst data, whether the third data and the fourth data are in agreementby determining whether the third data has a same value as a value of thefourth data.
 24. The method of claim 18, wherein the first datacomprises a program; wherein the step of performing, in the event thatthe third data and the fourth data are determined to be in agreement,first processing based on the first data, comprises the step of:performing, in the event that the third data and the fourth data aredetermined to be in agreement, first processing by executing theprogram; and wherein the step of performing, in the event that the thirddata and the fourth data are determined to not be in agreement, secondprocessing that is different from the first processing, comprises thestep of: performing, in the event that the third data and the fourthdata are determined to not be in agreement, second processing byexecuting the program and changing an output of the program during atime period.
 25. The method of claim 18, wherein the first datacomprises a program for producing a sound output; wherein the step ofperforming, in the event that the third data and the fourth data aredetermined to be in agreement, first processing based on the first data,comprises the step of: performing, in the event that the third data andthe fourth data are determined to be in agreement, first processing byexecuting the program; and wherein the step of performing, in the eventthat the third data and the fourth data are determined to not be inagreement, second processing that is different from the firstprocessing, comprises the step of: performing, in the event that thethird data and the fourth data are determined to not be in agreement,second processing by executing the program and by performing at leastone of inserting noise into the sound output of the program,periodically muting the sound output of the program, and changingfrequency characteristics of the sound output of the program.